Quintuple Pelikan Review: M600, M400, M205, M200, M100

October 25, 2015

So with the recent addition of the M400, my little flock of Pelikans has grown to 5, and I felt it was time for a multi-review and comparison of these lovely pens! My collection so far has focused mainly on the smaller (and slightly more affordable!) end of the Pelikan fountain pen line, but I've been lucky enough to have a play with the big birds, the M800 and M1000 size, so will try and compare to those too. All of these pens are modern, barring the M100 which is NOS from pre-1990. Many of the opinions and information will be transferable between these pens (for example, all have the same excellent filling system).

If you like my reviews, here's some I made earlier

- ASA Galactic

- Triple Platinum Century

- pencase.co.uk Pen Chest

Before we start, as an overview of the whole Pelikan line, here is a size comparison from pelikanpens.co.uk:

http://www.pelikanpens.co.uk/acatalog/pelikan-sizes.jpg

And some pictures of the whole bunch!

http://i.imgur.com/M89bjov.jpg?1

Capped

http://i.imgur.com/CdwbO33.jpg?2

Unposted

http://i.imgur.com/t1sGLp5.jpg?1

Posted

http://i.imgur.com/B4UmdjF.jpg?1

Nib close-ups

http://i.imgur.com/L6cgGlW.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/kc8lGdz.jpg?1

Caps from the side

http://i.imgur.com/De7sApK.jpg?1

Caps from the top showing logos

http://i.imgur.com/y0Y87nl.jpg?1

So without further ado, in order; the M600, the M400, the M205, the M200 and the M100!

Pelikan M600 Souverän - M nib - green striated finish

The largest of my collection and sitting in the middle of the whole Pelikan range size-wise, this was my first Pelikan.

13.4cm closed - 15.5cm posted - 16.5 grams The body is Pelikan's classic quintessential striped green celluloid, which I think is just absolutely stunning; rotating the pen in the sunlight, the material shimmers and almost glows. The black striations are actially transparent, allowing visualisation of the remaining ink level by holding the pen to a light. The cap, section and piston knob are black resin, polished to a mirror shine. The build quality is exceptional; no mould lines, joints or ridges are evident anywhere, and the section threads are smooth and unobtrusive when holding the pen.

As with all the Pelikans I own, this is a piston filler; Pelikan are famous for their quality filling mechanisms, and this is no exception. The travel is smooth and the pen holds a substantial 1.4ml of ink. The piston mechanism is plastic, as it is with all pens M600 size and smaller, but I don't feel this is going to hugely affect the durability. This is a surprisingly light pen for the size, but it sits very comfortably in the hand and has a nice balance, both posted and unposted.

At the top of the cap sits Pelikan's golden crown cap, topped with the company logo featuring a mother pelican feeding her chicks; the modern Souverän models have this in a sandblasted finish, whereas the older models and the current lower end (M200 and below) have a painted logo. The cap band reads "PELIKAN SOUVERAN GERMANY"

In common with the whole standard Souverän line (M400 and up) there are several trim rings; two at the piston knob, one at the end of the section, and two more on the cap. The clip, which is firm and springy, connects directly below the crown.

Of course, the real star of the show on this pen is the nib. My M600 has a medium stock bicolour nib, in 14k gold; this is a delightfully juicy, springy nib that just glides over paper. The M600 seems to write broader than the M400 medium. Pelikan nibs as a whole, especially the gold ones, seem to run quite wide regarding tipping sizes; especially the M1000 B I tried, which was a true firehose!

This is one of my favourite pens I have ever tried, and would be my "desert island pen" if I were made to choose one.

Pelikan M400 Souverän, M nib, White Tortoise finish

12.7cm closed - 14.9cm posted - 14.9 grams

The second smallest pen in the Souverän line, the M400 is actually exactly the same size as the M200/205. The difference comes in the trim and nib; this has more trim rings, and a gold nib as standard.

I have the white tortoise model; the pen is also available in black, blue, green, and red, but I just fell absolutely in love with this finish! The cap, section and piston knob are made from resin, ever so slightly cream coloured compared to, say, the white M100. The barrel has Pelikans signature striations, but is made from the most gorgeous honey-green celluloid with flecks of yellow, brown and gold. Believe me, this pen looks even better in real life than in photographs, and you only need to hold it to the light for the colours to spring to life, dancing and playing in the sunshine. Each pen is very unique, depending on which bit of celluloid happened to be used, which I like too! Like the M600+, there are two trim rings on the piston knob, two on the cap, and one at the end of the section. The M400 also shares the crow cap, logo design, and clip style of its lager counterpart. Of course, all the Pelikan clips are shaped like the bill of a pelican!

This pen was clearly made with the same attention to detail as the M600; again, no mould lines here! The M400 holds 1.3ml of ink. The filling system is again a smooth and fluid piston.

The nib on this pen is also a 14k bicolour medium, which is just as smooth and wet as that of the M600, although feels firmer when writing than the larger nib of the M600 (which compared to the delightfully bouncy giant M1000 nib itself feels a bit of a nail!) but is still an easy and pleasantly smooth writer. The nib is adorned with three decorative arabesque swirls, the mother pelikan and chick logo, and the nib information. This is common across all Souverän-line pens except for the M1000, which has double lines on the swirls.

Pelikan M205 - M nib - Amethyst limited release

This is a 2015 limited release pen, in a gorgeous frosted purple finish; a first for Pelikan. This is the same size as the M400 (and all modern M20X models for that matter). The main differences between the 200 and 400 line were outlined above; only one trim ring on the piston knob and one at the cap, and a steel nib as standard.

The steel medium nib on this pen runs about half a size smaller than the gold nibs of the 400 and 600; it also feels a little stiffer if pressure is applied. Not that you would need to do that of course, as this is an extremely smooth nib; in fact, this and the M200 B are among the smoothest steel nibs I own.

The build quality on this pen, while good, doesn't quite match up to the Souverän line; there's a tiny mould line along the section and threads, which whilst unobtrusive is a shame considering the still substantial cost of these pens. This model has rhodium-plated fittings, which I feel complements the purple finish beautifully - gold would have been a little too flashy! The frosted resin is an unusual finish; smooth on the outside, but foggy and translucent against the light, just like the amethyst after which it is named. No complaints about the piston on this pen either; it's every bit as smooth as the others. The cap band reads " PELIKAN GERMANY"

Notably this pen (and the M200 below), as special edition M20X pens, have the same style of metal crown cap as the M400+ pens, versus the plastic derby cap of the standard 200 line. It's a nice touch that helps these pens match up to their more expensive seniors!

Pelikan M200 - B nib - Café Crème limited release

Another 2015 limited edition, this coffee-themed pen has a creamy barrel and rich brown piston knob, section and cap. The trim is gold plated, adding to the rich warm feeling of the pen. There is a brown plastic ink window at the base of the section to show the ink level within the pen.

The gold-plated steel B nib is a seriously wet writer, and the feed easily keeps up with the flow. This allows for some gorgeous shading to shine through from inks, at the expense of having to refill a little more often! This nib somehow feels springier than the M steel of the M205, but maybe that's just my imagination. Similar build quality to the M205, with that same mould line; it's less noticeable on this pen though.

M100 - M nib - black and white "Stormtrooper" finish

The oldest, smallest and cheapest Pelikan I own, this was acquired as new old stock from Eastern Europe, where a large cache of these fun pens was apparently discovered! This is a pre-1990 West German pen, entirely white plastic barring the clip and single trim ring, giving it a striking look some have compared to the stormtrooper armour from Star Wars. This is a small and light pen, but very usable indeed when posted. There is a grey ink window behind the section. Unusually, the steel nib is anodised to a black finish; although it might not be clear on the photos, there is just visible imprints on the nib with the old-style logo with two chicks, and the nib size; in this case, medium. The nib is firm and writes fine and with more feedback than the glassy nibs of my other Pelikans.

The clip is also black, and the pen has a derby-style cap with the old logo imprinted on the top. The cap band reads "PELIKAN W. GERMANY"

Finally, a small writing sample from each of the pens reviewed!

http://i.imgur.com/tGdWhky.jpg?1

I hope this has been an enjoyable review; do ask away if you have any questions about my small (but growing...) collection of Pelikans!

October 25, 2015

You have nice handwriting

I've owned a M200, a M100, M605 and a M400 at different points in time. I still have the first three, and I love the birds.

They're nice writers they. My favourite brand.

I thoroughly enjoyed your review. Do keep them coming.

~Epic

October 25, 2015

Thank you for the extensive review.

It is detailed with superb pictures.

I very much enjoy my two M800s and my wife her M400.

October 25, 2015

The Pelikan M100 es fantastic. I think that you are not a good collector of Pelikans if you don´t have the M100. I prefer the Pelikan M100 Black and Silver, is more elegant but yours is great also

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g134/jasono4407/PICT7147.jpg

October 25, 2015

You have nice handwriting

I've owned a M200, a M100, M605 and a M400 at different points in time. I still have the first three, and I love the birds.

They're nice writers they. My favourite brand.

I thoroughly enjoyed your review. Do keep them coming.

Thank you! I quite agree, Pelikan is definitely my brand of choice (just in case that wasn't clear already from the review haha!

Thank you for the extensive review.
It is detailed with superb pictures.
I very much enjoy my two M800s and my wife her M400.

Thanks! I'm looking forward to owning an M800 of my own, the larger size would be nice! I do like the look of the anthracite Stresemann...

The Pelikan M100 es fantastic. I think that you are not a good collector of Pelikans if you don´t have the M100. I prefer the Pelikan M100 Black and Silver, is more elegant but yours is great also

A very elegant pen indeed! I think they're underrated, very nice pocket sized pens

November 3, 2015

The Pelikan M100 es fantastic. I think that you are not a good collector of Pelikans if you don´t have the M100. I prefer the Pelikan M100 Black and Silver, is more elegant but yours is great also

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g134/jasono4407/PICT7147.jpg

November 30, 2015

Yes the Pelikan M100 is pretty

January 22, 2016

The Pelikan M100 es fantastic. I think that you are not a good collector of Pelikans if you don´t have the M100. I prefer the Pelikan M100 Black and Silver, is more elegant but yours is great also

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g134/jasono4407/PICT7147.jpg

The price of these is steadily going up. This happens to have been the first piston filler I ever owned, and it is by far the pen I have loved most (even though in the meantime I have acquired many more). I still use a Frankenversion of this very first one - I had to salvage the original nib from a body I destroyed with drawing ink and fit it into a body and feed I acquired online. Some of the nibs I have seen in these are actually quite shoddy, but if you're lucky, you can get an excellent writer!

I'm going to start a Pelikan M100 club soon!

November 26, 2016

The price of these is steadily going up. This happens to have been the first piston filler I ever owned, and it is by far the pen I have loved most (even though in the meantime I have acquired many more). I still use a Frankenversion of this very first one - I had to salvage the original nib from a body I destroyed with drawing ink and fit it into a body and feed I acquired online. Some of the nibs I have seen in these are actually quite shoddy, but if you're lucky, you can get an excellent writer!

I'm going to start a Pelikan M100 club soon!

Yeah, it is difficult to find these days an M 100 at a good price. There are few specimens in good condition.

I also believe that the M 100 deserves its own revision.